I read the other day that here in this country, there is over four billion dollars of buried treasure, just waiting to be discovered. Over four billion dollars.
Everybody loves treasure. We dream of finding a treasure. I have four brothers. We still believe there is a hidden treasure somewhere at our family home in Lafayette on W. St. Louis Street.
Somewhere in that house, hiding away, are all of our baseball cards from the early 1960's. I had a great collection. I had Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, Bobby Richardson, Joe Pepitone, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, Yogi Berra. All those cards. Where are they? They were in perfect condition until I put them in the spokes of my stingray bicycle with a clothes pen, to make that motorcycle noise. That was real smart.
But anyway, are they hiding somewhere up in the attic or buried in some box in a closet? But the actual truth is probably they were all thrown away years ago by our mother on a Saturday morning when we were sleeping. I would love to find those cards.
Jesus talked about finding treasure. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, he told about a farmer who found a buried treasure when he was plowing his field. He talked about a merchant who discovered a perfect pearl.
I think his point was profound: finding a buried treasure cannot be compared to the awesome discovery of the kingdom of God.
So consider a personal question today. Have you ever made that incredible discovery of the kingdom of God? Jesus once said, “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)
The kingdom of God is all around us. We simply need to open our eyes and discover it. And what a life-changing discovery that would be. A real treasure that lasts forever!